Introducing The Oak & Oscar Burnham

The American watch brand scene just gained a new addition with Chicago-based Oak & Oscar. The brand is entering the market with a watch called the Burnham, a limited-edition piece that packs a lot of detailing into a straightforward design. Oak & Oscar looks and sounds like something straight out of a hipster’s how-to handbook, with references to bourbon and crafted-leather accessories, but there is some real substance here in the execution.

The Burnham gets its name from the architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham, who left his indelible mark on the city of Chicago more than 100 years ago. The watch is an interesting study in dial design, with many subtle details working independently of one another. The matte-grey dial is referred to as “non-militarized,” meaning great lengths were taken to ensure the sandwich dial and each of the Arabic numerals didn’t come off as a stencil set of numbers. The 8 and 7 were particular challenges in the design process, according to founder Chase Fancher.

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An orange second hand stands in stark contrast to the grey dial, with a prominent counterbalance that perfectly eclipses the logo printed at 12 o’clock; the event has been dubbed the “Stonehenge Effect,” according the brand. The date aperture at 6 o’clock features a color-matched date wheel, a refreshing detail rarely seen on even some of the most prestigious dials out there. A ring around the inner dial ties everything together.

Inside the Burnham beats a Soprod A10 automatic movement. It’s the new Swiss workhorse and while it may not be the sexiest movement in the world, Oak & Oscar has applied some perlage to the bridges and star-shaped cutouts on the rotor to add visual appeal. The case is 42 mm, and the lugs are designed with a curvature to ensure effortless wear. The watch is tested, assembled, and finished by the folks at Lum-Tec over in Ohio, so you can expect a high level of build quality.

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Buyers will receive a beautiful proprietary “watch wallet” made by Defy Bags. The piece was designed by Fancher himself, and will come stocked with a NATO-style, navy-blue spare strap. The pouch is lined with 100% wool felt from Germany, and it’s got space for four watches, straps, and strap changing tools. The watch wallet itself is impressive – and is something we hope to see available for purchase on its own in the near future.

The Burnham is limited to 300 serialized examples, and will be shown to the public at exclusive viewing events in Boston, New York, Toronto, and Minneapolis over the next few days. These will be invite only, so if you have any interest in the watch, head over to Oak & Oscar’s website.